The Mary Sue » Halla Gunnarsdottirhttp://www.themarysue.com
The Nexus of Pop Culture and the Uncharted UniverseTue, 31 Mar 2015 20:34:01 +0000en-UShourly1http://wordpress.org/?v=2015.14Iceland Latest Country To Move Towards Internet Porn Banhttp://www.themarysue.com/iceland-internet-porn-ban/
http://www.themarysue.com/iceland-internet-porn-ban/#commentsMon, 18 Feb 2013 13:43:36 +0000http://www.geekosystem.com/?p=137773
It's common knowledge that the Internet is primarily a method of delivering pornography to consumers at unheard of speeds, but that may not be the case much longer in Iceland. Lawmakers there are the latest working to put in place a firewall that would block citizens from viewing pornography online. Iceland isn't the first Western nation to take a swing at 86ing Internet porn -- the United Kingdom has flirted with the idea in the past -- but a growing call among lawmakers suggests it might be the first nation that has an actual shot at passing legislation to make the Internet measurably less naughty.]]>

It’s common knowledge that the Internet is primarily a method of delivering pornography to consumers at unheard of speeds, but that may not be the case much longer in Iceland. Lawmakers there are the latest working to put in place a firewall that would block citizens from viewing pornography online. Iceland isn’t the first Western nation to take a swing at 86ing Internet porn — the United Kingdom has flirted with the idea in the past — but a growing call among lawmakers suggests it might be the first nation that has an actual shot at passing legislation to make the Internet measurably less naughty.

According to poiltical advisor Halla Gunnarsdottir, the method by which Iceland would ban porn hasn’t been decided on yet, though several options, including a “Great Firewall of China” inspired firewall have been floated, and legislators are confident they could find ways to keep porn off

“At the moment, we are looking at the best technical ways to achieve this. But surely if we can send a man to the moon, we must be able to tackle porn on the Internet.”

First of all, I think you might be underestimating how much porn your dealing with here — about ‘One Internet’ full, by recent estimates. And for future reference, maybe let’s not compare one of mankind’s greatest technological achievements to preventing people from looking at boobs online. You’re not really in the same ballpark there, and honestly, you’re not even playing the same sport.

Still, the move isn’t surprising coming from Iceland, which has a standing ban on printed pornography, and as of a few years ago, outlawed strip clubs, which they said violated the right of women who work in them.

While the move — and the momentum it’s gaining — aren’t shockers, political watchers in the tiny, remote nation say it’s still unlikely that the move will find enough traction to be passed into law, so Icelandic perverts and the legions of digital fleshmongers who cater to them look like they’ll likely be free to carry on their business for now. But with legislators in the U.K. already calling on their own nation to look on Iceland’s proposals as an example of how to handle Internet porn, don’t expect this to be the last word on the subject.